


the song of this summer

by rosemalings



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Acquaintances to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Camp Counselor Yeosang, College Student Seonghwa, Growing Pains, Growing up Asian-American, M/M, No Beta, Short & Sweet, Yeosang and Wooyoung are former best friends, vaguely 90s/early 00s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25773016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosemalings/pseuds/rosemalings
Summary: in the aftermath of a friend break-up, yeosang tries to find solace in his childhood summer camp, his twin sister mina, and the camp director's son, park seonghwa.
Relationships: Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54
Collections: SeongSang Week 2020





	1. tell me how do love stories work?

**Author's Note:**

> For SeongSang Week 2020: Day 6: Summer.
> 
> This is a short fic with a few chapters. I created an accompanying playlist for your pleasure! Listen [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6JKdDByyFvbpBgDFLH3FEp?si=HysoSnPHRBKV9mkiCnn3RQ).
> 
> \+ If you'd like to follow me, I can be found at my [fic twitter](https://twitter.com/therosemalings).

It’s going to be a scorcher today.

Yeosang sighs and pulls the red bandana tied around his neck, pushing it up over his forehead so it holds his bleached blond locks back. He blinks, his field of vision suddenly a lot wider as he climbs into his perch overlooking the lake. It really is a beautiful sight, the morning sun just peeking up over the trees towering over them, framing the lake prettily, not a single cloud in the sky. The kids are slathering on their sunscreen while his red-headed twin sister oversees them, having them sing "Head, shoulders knees and toes" so they don't get a lick of sunburn. Mina is so good at that, wrangling that troops, so charming and funny that the kids never feel like they're actually following the rules.

"You better swim only up to the rope or Yeosangie's eagle eyes are gonna find you and you'll be in trouble," she warns them, wagging a finger before pointing up at him on the lifeguard chair. Once prompted, he lowers his aviators and narrows his eyes at them to mixed results, with some gasping and some of the older campers laughing out loud. 

Yeosang just laughs and shakes his head. Yeah, he figured.

That’s how summers have been since they were old enough to become counselors, having spent most of their lives in this small upstate town, growing up around Red Arrow Camp. It was possibly the most American thing their parents could have done upon immigrating to the states, settling in New York state in the middle of nowhere with only one daily bus route to the city, visiting family in South Korea for two weeks every June before the camp season started.

They end swim hour with Yeosang running up and down the pier using the bubble gun and blowing soap bubbles over everyone’s heads, sandals flopping against the wood planks, his own laugh ringing through the woods. He might not have his sister’s charm and people skills but he knows how to make the kids happy. Leaving his lifeguard post, he begins handing out towels and trying to keep all the kids in once place which is essentially the equivalent of herding cats. Not even Mina’s bubbly nature can save them not, not when there’s an adrenaline rush _and_ they’re all just beginning to get hungry after breakfast at eight that morning. A job is a job, and they both giggle through it, smelling like freshwater, sweat, and loads of sunscreen.

Having shuffled everyone off to clean up in the outdoor showers, washing sand and dirt off their feet, Yeosang finds Mina around the changing area, the two of them in their staff ringer shirts, him in red on white, her in blue on yellow. She slings an arm around his shoulders, fiddling with her cellphone, holding the glittery pink device up to the sky, the plastic jewels she stuck on catching the light prettily.

"You know reception sucks here," he murmurs, shaking his head at her. "Just email him from the office computer."

"Mark said he was gonna call me," she sighs in exasperation, jingling the charms she’s looped around the antenna. "He’s supposed to be driving in this evening to take me out. He even got his dad’s permission to use the car." She sighs deeply again and slides her phone into the back pocket of her denim shorts, lowering her voice carefully as she she looks him over. "You gonna be okay?"

He shrugs and lets her guide them to the mess hall for lunch. Truthfully, he’s been grateful that she’s been letting him hang around her so much lately.

"Yeah," he finally says. He’s eighteen. He can handle himself this Friday without the comfort of his sister who deserves to have a nice night with her boyfriend who has the car for once. The other counselors usually come up with their own fun plans while the kids settle in for an outdoor movie night. "I think Kino said they were thinking about going to the diner and getting milkshakes."

"Good! You should socialize. Those guys are _way_ fun, like _wholesome_ fun," she encourages him, enthusiastic as always, pushing the double doors open despite only needing one for them both..

"I’m wholesome fun," he insists, pressing a hand to his chest, right over the felt lettering of 'Red Arrow Camp.' 

She sighs ( she’s doing a lot of that today ), taking a tray and handing another to him. "I’m not saying you’re not fun, I’m just saying you should have different fun with different people. I’ll take you out next weekend! We can do something after we have dinner with mom and dad. Isn’t there a new Star Wars coming out or something?"

"It’s okay," Yeosang mumbles once they’ve found a table for themselves, sitting across her and tapping the straw against the table to free it from the paper sleeve. Mina looks up from her sandwich, her cheeks full, surprisingly able to hear him over the mess hall din. "It’s okay," he repeats with wavering confidence, "I mean, I’m okay without Woo." 

Her face falls behind that breaded chicken sandwich and she sets it down immediately, reaching across the table with her clean hand to squeeze his free one. It takes her a moment to finish chewing before answering him. "Wooyoung effing _friend-dumped_ you, Yeo, it’s okay to be _pissed_ , especially since you always put him first. Always. He was practically my other bro."

He doesn’t answer her immediately, sipping sadly at his carton of chocolate milk. His twin was probably more outwardly mad over the whole thing, Wooyoung turning down his calls to hang out, seating himself at San’s table at prom instead of Yeosang and Mina’s, and, most egregiously, not inviting him to his birthday Six Flags trip. Thinking about the past year just makes his heart ache in a way that makes his throat tighten and he looks away from her, though he does turn his hand over to hold her hand. He’s read enough books and seen enough movies to know that shit happens, people grow apart. He just didn’t expect to miss every senior year milestone without his best friend – former best friend. Mina squeezes his hand back before releasing it, letting him pick quietly at his macaroni and cheese.

"H-hi." An awkward voice draws them both out of the conversation and their heads snap up simultaneously. A tall, dark, and handsome figure looms over them, staff shirt still creased where it had been folded in its package, neatly tucked into his light-wash jeans cuffed at the ankles. Yeosang doesn’t realize he has accidentally given him a full-body once over until he feels a warmth creep down his neck. Suddenly feeling quite sloppy in comparison, all he’s got on are his swim trunks from earlier and there’s probably some sand in his pockets.

"Hey."

" _Hi_ ," Mina says at the same time.

"Can I sit with you both? There aren’t many staff tables left," he asks sheepishly, almost hugging his own tray of food to his chest. "Mina, right? And –"

"Yeosang," she introduces him with a gleaming grin, patting the spot not next to her but across the table next to him instead. "And you’re Seonghwa, right? The owner’s son?" There are, admittedly, not many Korean families in this particular wooded area of upstate New York so, of course, many of them enjoy sending them off to have a nice American kid experience in the care of the Park family.

Seonghwa chuckles as he slides onto the bench next to him, just enough space between them, Yeosang notes, that he could lean over and brush his elbow against his. Yike. He pulls his arms in around him, wishing he had a long-sleeved shirt to pull over his hands. "In the flesh," he confirms, unwrapping his straw to slip into his cup of ice water. "My, uh, summer plans changed so dad asked me if I wanted to fill in for Hui-hyung."

She immediately cries out, "I miss him!"

"Guess when you’ve got plans in the city, you can’t turn it down," Yeosang finally contributes to the conversation. He remembers hearing some grand rumor about Seonghwa Park, something about his incredible program at New York University, but knows better than to bring it up. His throat immediately goes dry the moment the aforementioned Park boy smiles at him, big kind eyes and all.

Looking between the two boys for a moment to full assess the situation despite Yeosang’s unsmiling expression, Mina leans over the table, sitting on her knees with her hands folded under her chin. "You go to NYU, riiiight? That’s super cool." There is a gleam in her eye and her brother knows he’s in trouble, his heart already racing behind his ribcage. "Yeosangie’s taking a gap year but I know he super wants to go to the New School. For _art_." ( Thanks, sis, do you wanna talk about his grades and medical history too? )

Seonghwa’s eyes go up in surprise, lips still wrapped around the straw. ( Yeosang’s soul momentarily leaves his body. ) "Your parents were okay with you taking a year off? Before college?" 

He shrugs again and is about to answer when the bell rings and lunch hour prepares to wrap. "Yeah," he answers quickly as he stands and begins to gather the garbage both he and Mina have to toss, though Seonghwa looks like wants to ask him even more questions about his plans and as much as he wants to keep a hold on this handsome dude’s attention, he is really, very tired of talking about his plans or lack thereof with everyone. It was enough having the same conversation with his parents on a constant loop since applications were due. Why couldn’t he be more like Mina? Mina has plans, Mina’s studying dance _and_ teaching. "Eventually." He picks up the tray, staring down at the empty plates instead of looking at Seonghwa’s shocked face and Mina’s ( probably ) disappointed one. "I gotta get ready for art hour. See you."

"Sorry about that," he can hear his sister murmur behind him as he marches as far as his squeaky, still soggy sandals can take him. He can trust her enough to not explain the whole Bad Mood Summer to him, at least, though he is painfully curious as to what they are going to talk about. There’s no time to linger since he’s made his own dramatic escape.

When he puts the dishes and tray away and tosses the rest in the garbage or recycling, he reemerges at the height of the heatwave, pulling his sunglasses out from where they were tucked into the collar of his shirt and fishing in the pocket of his trunks to find a hair elastic from his sister. ( "Because I’ll never lend you a scrunchie," she said. ) The small bits of concrete path seem to utterly summer beneath the sun’s rays. He can faintly hear over the loudspeaker that they’re canceling a few activities for everyone’s safety. The ache of regret settles upon him faster than the indigestion from shoveling down his mac so quickly. He shouldn’t have clammed up when Seonghwa was asking him a reasonable question, though maybe it was from guilt over checking him out like –– well, like the horny teenager he can be. Grumbling to himself, he ties his shaggy hair into a ponytail, low at the nape of his neck, and marches right off to the art cabin to get the paints ready for the kids. If anything, he can at least distract himself with finger painting hour and endless doodles of his hehetmon characters for the younger tadpoles heading his way in a few minutes.

Forget Wooyoung. Forget their parents for now.


	2. what's love got to do with it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa’s smile is toothy, a little crooked and it just breaks Yeosang up inside to look directly at it. But it’s inescapable with the other boy sitting directly across from him. He leans in to dip his finger into a purple pot of paint. "Can you teach me?"
> 
> "Y-yeah. Sure," he answers, dipping his own finger back into the paint.

A few buckets of paint later, half of it ending up on his bright green apron, and Yeosang stops stewing in his own worries, soothed by the fan stationed right next to his face as he sits in between the other set of twins at camp, Jessica and Josh. Each camper has taken it upon themselves to paint different versions of hehetmon and he can’t help but be pleased to see them enjoy his little character from childhood.

"You gonna paint the flower on his head?" he asks Jessica seriously, a smile pulling at his lips as he watches the eleven year old consider her options, pulling a few pans of paint over to her side of the table when she checks to see if her brother is done with them. "Purple, that’s nice." He is far too engrossed in the twins’ art work, their constant competition for his attention, to notice a slim figure darkening the doorway to the art cabin.

"Hey," Seonghwa greets tentatively, rapping his at the doorframe. His hands immediately slide into the pockets of his snug jeans and his mouth curls into a crooked smile.

Yeosang looks up in surprise and relief, offering him an apologetic smile and a blank finger painting paper. "there are grown-up smocks if you want," he nods to the hooks to the right of the door, his entire little body relaxing when the older boy steps further into the room and plucks a black smock from the hook.

"Are you all drawing the same thing?" he asks when Josh pushes the chair out across from them with his feet for Seonghwa to take. The older boy chuckles amusedly and pulls it out further. The table is low and he looks very silly crouched there with all of them, Yeosang included.

"Hehetmon," Jessica offers, diligently a pattern of flower-headed figures.

"Yeosang’s character," Josh mumbles, more focused on dabbing his face with blue-painted fingertips. 

"I just made it up when I was a kid," he mumbles, careful to avoid Seonghwa’s gaze, shrugging his shoulders and curling into himself. "Just. Doodles." 

Seonghwa’s smile is toothy, a little crooked and it just breaks Yeosang up inside to look directly at it. But it’s inescapable with the other boy sitting directly across from him. He leans in to dip his finger into a purple pot of paint. "Can you teach me?"

"Y-yeah. Sure," he answers, dipping his own finger back into the paint.

«««

"Those kids are gonna put me out of a job," he jokes later, when they’re wiping down tables and of course Seonghwa offered to help because the kid’s a perfect gentleman and Yeosang doesn’t know why he’s so surprised by the offer. As soon as he started teaching the hehetmon method, several campers jumped in to take the reins from him, arguing over the best hats to give them, some protesting that the flowers were too girly.

"You’re a good teacher," he counters, going over a table that Yeosang definitely just wiped but he doesn’t say anything about it. "They like hanging around you."

He chuckles, shaking his head as they toss the rags into the hamper for laundry later, and ducks his head beneath his own apron ties to finally remove it. "You should see them around Mina." Seonghwa takes the apron from him and hangs it next to his black smock by the door, their fingers brushing for a moment, leaving Yeosang momentarily shaken. _Keep it together_. "She had them wrapped around her finger when we were swimming."

"But I was watching them with you," he replies as he turns off the lights behind them and they fall into step with each other, walking without any goals since Yeosang has a free period to himself before the next round of entertainment begins. "And I liked what I saw. They were having a lot of fun, I assure you." As much as he wants to protest, that doesn’t stop him from grinning ear to ear at the genuine praise, especially praise coming from this spectacularly handsome guy who has decided he’s worth his time after he had just run out on him at lunch.

The cabins follow the curve of the lake, arranged like an amphitheater with three layers of cedar log buildings, sandy, warm browns, all welcoming with most of their doors open, campers and employees filtering in and out of them. They continue walking along the lakeside, towards the woods, naturally ending up on the easy hiking path that should take them to the overlook point that shows them the perfect view of the northern end of the Hudson River. Yeosang’s feet always gravitate here, finding peace amongst the rocky cliff and the trees.

"I like this path too," Seonghwa comments idly, sliding his hands back into his pockets.

"Can I ask you something?" he asks suddenly. The other boy’s smile is still gentle, understanding, and he nods. "Why’d you come back here?"

"Ah."

"S-sorry."

"No, no," he frees a hand to wave it reassuringly before curving it thoughtfully around his narrow chin. "I decided to leave my internship," he continues as plainly as possible though Yeosang can hear a slight nervousness in his voice, "I thought I’d study business, my grades were good enough for NYU. The business school is no joke and – neither was the internship." Seonghwa runs his hand through his hair, letting the dark bangs fall over his forehead again.

He makes a soft, sympathetic noise in response, nodding. "Hard?"

"Yeah," the other boy responds dryly, rolling his eyes, kicking at a pebble as he comes to a pause, waiting for Yeosang to catch up to him so they can both catch their breath. "For something unpaid, it wasn’t worth it. They had the usual stuff. Coffee runs, photocopying, picking up faxes on top of expecting us to fill in work for pretty much entry level employees? Fuck that."

"Yeah, fuck that," he agrees, the corner of his mouth curling upwards in admiration, not just at his unexpected swearing but at his conviction. "Especially if they’re not gonna pay you and you have to spend money to live there." 

"No one wants to throw the towel in," Seonghwa admits, pulling himself up over a particularly big step before turning around to extend a hand to him. He hesitates, staring at that open palm before placing his hand in it, letting Seonghwa get a good grip as they lace fingers and he joins him at their final stop. With a protective barrier facing the Hudson and some wooden benches in the clearing, it’s a picturesque scene, not a cloud in the sky in the late afternoon heat.

Yeosang releases the other boy’s hand immediately and rubs his arm out of want of something to do with his hands as they approach the bench. They sit close enough, a respectable five or six inches of space between their bodies, the both of them sweating, rolling their sleeves up to provide some relief. Yeosang even pulls his bandana back up over his forehead to push his hair away from his face, blushing when he notices his walking companion smiling over at him appreciatively.

Seonghwa rubs his sweaty palms over his jeans, turning his gaze to the river below – a calming sight. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh. Sure."

"What do you you want to do before college?"

Yeosang swallows a groan and curls in on himself again. There’s no where to run this time and he sort of owes him an answer anyway since he had initiated the questions in the first place. "I don’t really know what I wanna do," he admits finally. "I like a lot of things. Drawing, dancing… parents would probably expire on the spot if I suggested becoming a pro-skateboarder," he jokes. A breeze sweeps past them in the clearing and he feels a small wave of relief wash over him. "Honestly … I’d work here as long as I could if this was functional year round." 

Seonghwa looks over at him, adjusting his position so he can _really_ look at him which just makes him squirm. There is something just so striking about his eyes – people say that all the time about his own, but Seonghwa’s are just wide and beautiful and he’s certain if he was a writer, he would wax poetic on them for pages and pages. "You’ve been coming here for years, haven’t you?"

He grins. "Me and Mina have been coming since we were eleven." 

"Everyone has to leave camp at some point," he reminds him, his voice low and soft. The words begin to sink in when he looks away from this beautiful boy, though it only serves to give him another stomachache, his insides twisting up at the horrifying thought of leaving all of this behind. This has always been another home to him. Those pent up anxieties begin to rear their ugly heads and Yeosang almost forgets he’s still sitting here, staring at the river. 

Well, at least until Seonghwa enters his personal space and kisses him sweetly, a mere peck on the lips. Their bodies aren’t touching but his entire body feels like it’s on fire and he looks at him in utter shock. "It’s not a bad thing, Yeosangie," he continues, reaching to tuck a blond lock of hair behind his ear.

"Y-you…" he sputters comically, shaking his head.

That just makes Seonghwa laugh, the sound warm and comforting, and he knows that it isn’t a teasing laugh at his expense. "You always look so – intense. But then sometimes you look so cute. Like right now, and I wish I had a camera to capture it," he continues. "Don’t worry too much about it today."


	3. let's go towards the horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa doesn’t hesitate to pull his shirt off as soon as they get to the dock and Yeosang’s soul leaves his body again. The boy is fit, lissom and _beautiful_ with those subtle abs in the works and those long legs with swim trunks that aren’t quite as long as the ones currently in fashion. His mouth goes dry and he joins him at the very edge of the wooden planks, taking his own shirt off and feeling smaller and a little more childish in comparison, too skinny, all wiry muscle with his body dotted with skateboarding bruises.
> 
> "You’re glowing," he says without thinking, unable to take his eyes off his body, his skin.

Yeosang’s head is swimming. 

Whatever epiphany he might have had takes a brief backseat to this kiss that he will never forget, as brief as it had been. He wants to speak but all that can come out are breathless little chuckles. But ...

He and his sister had emerged a pair of opposites, with Mina more vibrant and assertive, Yeosang more introspective and grounded. Her courage is inspiring and he has relied on her to speak up for the two of them, grateful when she had even risen to his defense when asking their parents to allow him to take a gap year between schools.

Seonghwa tells him not to worry too much about it today but he can only think of how much time is left in the summer and it isn’t nearly enough. Everything has been sliding out of place since last year, since Wooyoung decided to leave his side, with university days on the horizon. Without a single constant, he isn’t even sure who he is anymore, not without him, not without his sister. His gaze shifts focus as he stares out over the river and finds himself unable to manage the ache of a broken heart, the fear of the unknown, and the absolute thrill of holding Seonghwa’s attention for just a moment.

He leans toward him again, reaches up to curve his hand around the back of his neck so he can pull him in and kiss him. Perhaps Yeosang can be bold too.

The older boy makes a soft noise against his mouth, tentatively placing his hand on his waist, the very touch sending electric sparks through his entire body. Each kiss is warm, still rather chaste, the two of them close, sun-kissed and a little sweaty from their walk up to the viewing point. Finally, Yeosang allows himself to be fully distracted from his thoughts, closing his eyes tight and laughing when Seonghwa presses kisses against the bridge of his nose, the apples of his cheeks. No one ever touches him like this and for the first time in a while, his heart swells.

Seonghwa’s honeyed voice cuts through the sudden haze that has befallen him. "Yeosangie, we should get back for dinner." He finds it even more difficult to think when this other boy has begun stroking his fingers through his bleached blond hair, affectionate like they’ve known each other for years. In a way, they have, as Yeosang has always been aware of Seonghwa’s existence, though they’ve spoken more in the last five hours than they have in the last however many years he has been attending camp.

Whatever this is, it makes him feel good, _wanted_ , and he inherently trusts him. Emboldened even further, he decides to speak up. "What, you just took me up here to kiss me?" he teases.

"No! What? N-no, I just. I was _following you!_ " Seonghwa sputters in response, shaking his head and flushing a deep red and Yeosang starts laughing at him. "Was that a bad thing, wanting to kiss you? Should I have waited?"

He shakes his head, reaching to squeeze his bicep. "Go swimming with me later. When everyone’s asleep."

He looks surprised at the sudden suggestion, his already wide eyes growing in size when they pull away from each other to stand up. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. After dinner."

«««

The back porch is covered in string lights and two mosquito lanterns. The intense heat of the afternoon has given way to the cool of the night, soft breezes washing over the camp from the middle of the lake. Like a good brother, he sees his sister off, watching as she tumbles into Mark’s car, smiling when they both wave back at him as they pull out of the camp parking lot. With the window’s rolled down, he can hear the boy’s distinct chatter mingling with Mina’s musical laugh. Standing on the back porch of the main office, he flinches when he feels something brush against his side and he pulls his arms closer to his body, trapping the hand against his waist.

"Sorry for surprising you," Seonghwa murmurs sheepishly, settling at his side. Yeosang feels like he’s on fire, blushing as he loosens his accidental hold on his hand.

"It’s, uh, it’s okay."

"Just wanted to tell you the kids were all situated if you wanted to –" And the older boy gestures over his shoulder towards the placid, empty lake.

And he grins ear to ear, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, let’s go."

So he didn’t opt for wholesome fun with Kino and the rest and perhaps Mina suspected that he wouldn’t. She had, after all, sent him the most catlike grin before going on her merry way, though he isn’t going to think too much about that until later when they will surely catch each other up on their respective evenings.

Seonghwa doesn’t hesitate to pull his shirt off as soon as they get to the dock and Yeosang’s soul leaves his body again. The boy is fit, lissom and _beautiful_ with those subtle abs in the works and those long legs with swim trunks that aren’t quite as long as the ones currently in fashion. His mouth goes dry and he joins him at the very edge of the wooden planks, taking his own shirt off and feeling smaller and a little more childish in comparison, too skinny, all wiry muscle with his body dotted with skateboarding bruises.

"You’re glowing," he says without thinking, unable to take his eyes off his body, his skin.

The boy just smiles at him, close-lipped and almost mysterious, taking this opportunity to jump right into the water. Yeosang laughs to himself, tossing his shirt aside to join Seonghwa’s and jumping right in. It’s still warm from the sun mere hours ago, the perfect temperature, he thinks, opening his eyes underwater and seeing only bits of starlight from above.

They both resurface, water just below their chins, and their eyes lock. He remains treading water with toes brushing against the sandy bottom while Seonghwa swims closer to him, the two of them enjoying relative privacy from the rest of the camp, obscured by buildings and other structures. ( Though truthfully, other counselors have been caught doing worse. ) Yeosang holds his breath without realizing it, not quite trapped, simply pulled into Seonghwa’s orbit once more.

"Yeosang," he murmurs, reaching over to brush those bleach blond strands away from his forehead, his thumb rubbing that pink temple birthmark affectionately. ( How does he know about that when he keeps it hidden beneath bangs normally? ) "I’m still kind of lost," he admits suddenly, which isn’t a response Yeosang expected, though it does continue their conversations from earlier. "I don’t think anyone really has it together for a long time."

Gently, he touches the other’s shoulder, following the curve of his neck to his jaw, curving his hand around the back of Seonghwa’s head to brush his fingertips against the jet black strands of hair. And Seonghwa looks relieved to be touched, leaning into him, his skin so warm and almost welcoming. "Are we gonna be okay?" he whispers brokenly, searching his face, his brow knitted together in earnest. There aren’t many days left in the summer, there aren’t many days until his sister moves on and Seonghwa goes back to the city and Yeosang has to figure out what he wants to do with himself the rest of the year, finding new ways to be productive. He’s felt so rudderless and so isolated over the past year and –

There’s Seonghwa, so put-together and seemingly perfect, feeling just as adrift.

He purses his lips. "I don’t know for sure, but I think so." 

He smiles and Yeosang smiles back and they both look uncertain but somehow the admissions of today and the tentative promise of something better makes him feel a small sense of relief. The future is hard to predict when the world changes so quickly. "Good," is all he says before disappearing beneath the water and swimming towards the depth marker to prevent the other campers from swimming too far. Resurfacing briefly for air, he can hear Seonghwa splashing behind him as he swims right under the floating barrier to move a little further away from shore.

"H–hey," the older boy gasps, catching his ankle briefly with a laugh. He stops giving chase, letting the other boy catch him as they tread water in front of each other again. Yeosang doesn’t hesitate in surging forward to loop his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, kissing him soundly as arms wind around his torso. "I like you, you know," Seonghwa murmurs against his lips, parting them as Yeosang slips his tongue past his lips. The change makes him tighten his grip on his waist.

His heart flutters at the admission and he gasps when they part, when Seonghwa’s hands begin stroking his sides slowly. "Yeah?" he whispers, lifting his chin as this gorgeous specimen of a boy kisses his way down his neck, sucking at the warm, sensitive skin until he decides to leave a very telling mark just above his collarbone.

"Yeah, I do."

Yeosang, for once, doesn’t settle back into his thoughts, only smiles and cards his hand through dark hair. "You wanna go on a date sometime?" he asks, skirting the expected response.

Seonghwa pauses his ministrations and his lovebite-making and looks up at him, somewhat bewildered. His expression shifts into something more knowing, an attractive smirk on his face. "Do you like me, Yeosangie?" he asks, tickling his side. His startled laugh is loud, echoing across the lake and he nearly kicks him as they keep themselves afloat. Seonghwa maintains his grip on his bare waist, trapping him in his embrace so he can continue ghosting his fingers over his sides. "Tell me you like me, Yeosangie," he teases, his voice in sing-song.

For once he feels confident, even while squirming helplessly in that surprisingly strong grip, feeling even smaller than before but it’s not all bad, not when the person holding him is Seonghwa Park. "Fine, okay! Okay! _I like you too_."

The older boy ceases his assault on his sides and Yeosang takes his opportunity to slip out of his grip again, swimming just beneath the surface on his back, kicking his legs towards the shore again. He opens his eyes to take in the rippled view of the full moon overhead, only obscured by Seonghwa joining him, swimming just above his body and reaching to take his hand, curling their fingers around each other. Their lips meet underwater and Yeosang thinks this might be what true bliss feels like.

They shower separately and steal away to Seonghwa’s private room where they don’t make any promises except to see where this goes with open hearts and minds. He kisses Yeosang’s neck and tells him that he might like New York City if he wanted to see him in September, and Yeosang works Seonghwa’s shirt off again so he can trace each dip of his abs while he figures out what else makes him laugh. Leaving the old behind is scary, the older boy tells him when they’re both exhausted from the day, lips sore and very bruised from all their kissing. It’s just less scarier when you have someone else at your side.

Even if they’re both ready for bed, Seonghwa still walks Yeosang back to his own bunk when Mina’s just returning and her jaw goes slack when she sees them kiss ever so tenderly. He shoots his sister a shy smile and waves her off again, a silent promise for more story tomorrow morning.

The summer started sluggishly but ended with new life breathed into Yeosang, a little bolder, a little more ready to face the rest of his eighteenth year. It was the last gift Red Arrow Camp had given him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading this simple little ditty! i had this idea brewing for a while and i'm glad i went through with it for seongsang week, even if i finished it a bit after. quarantine's given me a lot of time to think and reminisce on past summers and i hope i've captured a bit of that nostalgia for you to enjoy too.


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